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12 July 2010 Nairn Curling Club Golf Outing
This year's event, held at Hopeman and organised by vice-president Hamish Clark, appears to have been a great success.
Quotes have included " A well organised day and great format" , " It’s all a bit hazy", " We wuz robbed! " - but trying to get a set of results has proved a step to far for the web-monkey.
A promise to email the results has vapourised, and Hamish is rumoured to be still struggling with the instructions for his i-phone.
We hear the president , whilst standing on the 1st tee suffered a near miss from a Stanfield Special. Some people will try anything to win a Webster Cap
Well Done Mike!
Belated congratulations to Mike McInnes, whose name appears in the list of those having passed their RCCC Assistant Coach 's Qualification issued at the end of last season.
Inverness Ice Centre - Good News
According to Michael Green, the times and charges for curling at the Inverness Ice Centre will remain unchanged for the 2010-2011 season. In times of cut-back and increasing costs, this is indeed good news for curlers.
2 November 2010 Indoor Grand Match
On Saturday 23rd October the Indoor Grand Match was held at 15 ice rinks around Scotland with over 529 club teams travelling from all over to compete in the third event of its kind. The Indoor Grand Match is a spin off event based on the traditional Grand Match. The Indoor version was initiated in 2000 to celebrate the millennium and due to its success the event has continued every five years since with the North playing the South.
Nairn entered two teams skipped by Harold Forrester whose rink played at Inverness and Ross Cope who travelled with his rink to the Braehead Arena near Glasgow.
Teams embraced the old traditions and ethos of the Grand Match, demonstrating good sportsmanship and etiquette during the games, the stacking of the brooms at half time to toast their opposition with a small whisky.
Despite wins and good performances from both Nairn rinks it did little to affect the overall result. Once all the shots were totalled from the 15 participating ice rinks The South were victorious by a margin of 379 shots.
I can say from experience, that a Grand day out was had by both teams, however............... we have an early nomination for the coveted Webster Cap. After their game at Braehead Arena the Cope team went through the usual warm down session in the bar before setting off to their accommodation. When Ross tried to book his weary troops into barracks he found no room at the inn. “There must be some mistake, check your records”, pleaded Ross. “Mmmh” replied the receptionist “the only reservation we have for Cope is for next Saturday night”!!!
That weekend also coincided with the Old Firm match which meant hotel beds were in high demand. The fab four did however manage to secure one room and shoehorned themselves in, dad Robbie sleeping in the wardrobe!!
Will he ever be forgiven or forgotten or surpassed this season.
23 December 2010 Outdoors - against Highland Curling Club
With a Grand Match once again in prospect, Nairn Curling Club took the opportunity to hone the outdoor skills of their finest when they accepted a challenge from Highland Curling Club to meet at Kingsmills earlier this week.
The Club's special correspondent has sent this (far from weighty) report:
Ice was superb as was the hospitality.
Team Asher rallied from 0-4 down against Jim Robb to lead 7-4 at the break & held their 3 shot lead to win 11-8. That was the only Nairn success though, as teams skipped by Mike McInnes, Hamish Clark & Bob Pottie failed to win. One of them did achieve a draw I believe, but which one is shrouded in the events of the evening.
Copious quantities of whisky, gin, warm sausage rolls & Christmas pies were provided by the away team but this plan did nothing to affect the highly trained Highland team [average age 72 and a half] who quickly adapted to the keen ice & home venue to cruise into a half time lead that could not be salvaged by alcohol alone.
The efforts made by Highland CC to keep the traditional game alive are much appreciated.
2 March 2011 The 2010-2011 Park Cup Final
This was another thrilling occasion, when father and son went head to head at Inverness Ice Centre.
The well fancied rink of Dean Clark faced his dad, Club Vice President, Hamish Clark, in the final.
Hamish quickly established a 3 point lead after 2 ends before allowing Junior to take a three in the 3 end to level the game.
Some excellent curling from both sides meant the game was finely poised.
The next two ends were tight but going into the 6 and final end Hamish had 1 shot advantage but Dean would have the crucial last stone.
Clark Senior's rink played an excellent end, although left Dean the possibility of pulling off a wonder to claim a possible 2 and take the cup.
Although close Dean could only take a 1 which meant the game was tied. The fate of the Park Cup came down to an open draw between the 2 skips.
Dean played first but the stone was slightly over swept and game to rest at the back of the 8ft circle.
Hamish had to follow Junior but proved that there’s plenty of life in the old dog by playing an excellent draw to the front of the 4ft circle to take the prize.
Congratulations to the winning rink Greg Christie/ Alan Main / Robbie Cope and skip Hamish Clark.
Commiserations to runners up Alister Mackenzie / Bill Geddes / Alex Scott and skip Dean Clark
28 March Millennium Trophy
The Top Four teams in the Sandy Gunn League battled it out for the Millennium Trophy on Monday March 28.
In the semi final: 1st Dean Clark , played 4th, Jamie Cattell; whilst 2nd Hamish Clark, played 3rd Matthew Mackay.
Dean Clark beat Jamie Cattell, although it took a draw to the bottle to settle it. The Mackay rink, still smarting from the defeat which cost them the SGL Title, brushed the Hamish Clark combo aside.
In a fairly one sided final, Matthew Mackay, despite struggling with a knee injury, got revenge over SGL winner Dean Clark , to take the Millennium Trophy.
David Brown Shield
The final event of the season was the David Brown Shield - the club event where non skips get their turn of skipping.
To try and boost participation it was decided last season to simply reverse the Sandy Gunn teams and have another closing bonspiel style event. It proved a little more problematic this season due to a high amount of call off’s, and skips had difficulty in raising teams.
The eventual winner was Dan Torok, Ian Fraser, Jim Clark and Stewart Baird.
Thanks to Vice President Hamish Clark for arranging a post-match warm-down at The Clubhouse Hotel afterwards.
4 April 2011 Sandy Gunn League Report by Stewart Baird
The destiny of the 2010-11 Sandy Gunn League title was a nail biter. The competition went to the final end of the final round of games before a winner was decided..
An in-form Vice-President Hamish Clark needed to beat Jamie Cattell to win the league outright.
A top v bottom place draw saw Matthew Mackay play David Wickenden. If Hamish was to slip up, Matthew would be favourite to take the title.
Jamie Cattell got of to a good start, and established a comfortable lead from which Hamish never looked likely to recover.
Meanwhile, on sheet C, Dean Clark was taking care of Neil Pottie, while keeping an eye on the other two games.
Going into the last end Mackay was 3 up and still odds-on favourite. But David Wickenden had other ideas. He built up a packed house, and with his last stone of the season played an excellent shot to lie 5. Mackay could not respond and Wickenden got his first victory of the year, winning 10 – 8. Dean Clark was then level on points with dad Hamish whose 8 – 2 defeat, coupled with his own 11 – 4 victory, gave him the SGL Title on shots difference.
9 May 2011 AGM - WEBSTER CAP 2011 AWARDED
This unique trophy is awarded annually for a single act, or sustained period of incompetence, on or off the ice during the preceding year.
Step forward Ross Cope!
Ross booked this award at the start of the 2010-2011 season. He was a member of the elite squad hand picked by skip Robbie Cope to uphold the standard of North curling at the Indoor Grand Match at Braehead, then sample some Glasgow nightlife, to be followed by some rest and recreation in a comfortable city hotel. Ross was tasked with booking the accommodation.
The Grand Match game was followed by a comprehensive warm down. When the four came to check in to their hotel, it was found that there was no booking. However a check revealed that there were rooms booked for the following weekend !
A Celtic v Rangers game that same weekend meant nothing could be re-arranged. Joseph and family could not have been more devastated at finding no room at the inn.!
After much searching, one hotel room was found into which everyone squeezed - apart from skip Robbie who slept in the wardrobe and found it roomy and comfortable..
Ross Cope - we can say without reservation your Webster Cap was well deserved............
20 June 2011 Golf Day - Report by Hamish Clark
We held our annual golf day at Grantown Golf Course on Saturday 11th June this year. 18 guys turned out, 17 playing the Texas Scramble and Bob Pottie driving a golf buggy having sustained a back injury while gardening (should have left the hard work to Margaret!). At the end of the round we had some liquid refreshments and a meal at the club.
The winning team were Alec Scott, Tom Scott, Stewart Morrison and Dean Clark, with Alec Scott winning the longest drive and Dean winning the nearest the pin competition.
Many thanks to Stewart Baird for assisting in the organisation of the day and driving one of the minibuses, a great day was had by all.
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